I Became a Police Officer in a Superhero Genre

Almost an hour passed since the car started driving. The vehicle stopped in a remote area similar to where the junkyard was.

‘Mina’ must have prepared a meeting place with Dokkaebi in advance while rescuing me, as Dokkaebi was waiting where the van stopped.

The familiar exterior of an old abandoned house made me flip through my memories and realize it was an old building known as a famous haunted spot in Seoul or something like that on the internet.

Of all places to set a meeting spot, they choose a place like this? My brows furrowed with uneasiness.

But I didn’t say such graceless words when I saw Dokkaebi’s younger sister, who had been anxiously watching her surroundings in the car after being rescued, immediately jump out and hug Dokkaebi as soon as she saw him.

“O-oppa!”

“Mirae…!”

So the younger sister’s name was Mirae. I pushed the name of the younger sister I somehow learned to one corner of my mind while looking at them.

I checked the time while confirming the ensuing touching sibling reunion taking place from a position one step away.

Perhaps because we had driven in the car for quite a while, the time was already passing midnight.

If we drag this out any longer, who knows what those criminal bastards gathered at the Chosen Ones will do.

It’s an ungraceful act to interrupt in the middle of that, but even if I get cursed at, there’s an urgent matter right now.

I approached Dokkaebi and his younger sister, who had even thrown away his mask and was crying.

“Hey Dokkaebi.”

At my call, that guy looked at me with a face streaming with tears and snot. Seeing that face, I wondered if I should say this, but. I closed my eyes tight and continued speaking.

“There are still people left who were kidnapped like your younger sister.”

At my words, Dokkaebi slowly opened and closed his eyes. In the dark interior, he stared at me.

I met his gaze with trembling brown eyes that seemed confused, then continued speaking.

“Those sons of bitches know we’re moving now and are moving too. With just my strength, or the strength of the people here, it’s difficult to arrest Park Jung-hoon bastard and save the victims. So I’m asking you. Please help.”

At my words, he blinked his mouth like a carp for a moment as if choosing words to come out of his mouth. But soon, Dokkaebi’s younger sister started whispering something in his ear.

Hearing those words, Dokkaebi’s eyes widened as if surprised. Then he nodded his head and put on the mask he had taken off, saying:

“Tell me. Kim. Anything.”

Good. Fortunately, he’s not ignoring me completely.

I waited for ‘Mina’ and Yoo Nari, who were slowly approaching after parking the car, to explain my plan while inwardly feeling relieved.

As long as ‘Mina’ and Dokkaebi are together, if we can just get that bastard to leave his main base and come to this remote place, we can win easily without damage to citizens.

It’s a priority to make Dokkaebi’s younger sister and Yoo Nari escape far away by car. But anyway.

I cleared my throat. I think it’s greedy even to myself, but I will take down Park Jung-hoon bastard with my own hands no matter what.

Of course, I’ll have to take him down after preventing him from using that damn passing-on ability with Dokkaebi’s help, but the important thing is taking him down with my own hands.

I gave my coat to Dokkaebi’s younger sister, saying it would be better to stay in the car since it’s cold. I was about to tell ‘Mina’, who had come near me, how to lure those bastards out, but.

Suddenly I sensed something out of place here. Why is everyone so clearly visible on such a late night?

There are no lights on inside. No lamps either. Moreover, it’s an abandoned house in a remote place with no inhabited houses nearby, so there’s no light source at all. But how…?

I looked at Dokkaebi with a questioning gaze, and Dokkaebi answered like this:

“There were many souls who couldn’t leave and remained in this building. I lit a fire to burn their souls and send them to heaven, so the interior is bright. You don’t need to mind it much. It’s what’s commonly called will-o’-the-wisp.”

…Suddenly ghosts here…?

I looked around the strangely bright interior of the ruins at Dokkaebi’s words. Until just now, I had thought it was still cold because it’s night and dismissed it, but.

It feels like there’s something around, but also not.

I’ve kept this a secret until now, but. Actually, I’m weak to horror. I’m so weak I can’t even watch those shitty school ghost stories well.

So I could only stand there sweating coldly.

“F-first, we need to lure those bastards here.”

I could still feel my voice trembling slightly. But I continued speaking while trying not to show it as much as possible.

These people needed a rough explanation of why we had to fight here specifically, but.

They didn’t need a separate explanation on whether we could win against those guys. Because there’s no way we’d lose in the first place.

At my words, Dokkaebi nodded his head. He was already overflowing with killing intent, grinding his teeth for revenge for his younger sister being kidnapped, to the point where it seemed like no separate persuasion was needed.

I did say that as a police officer, he shouldn’t kill people, but I was worried whether he would actually listen.

“Don’t worry. They will be in a state where it would be better for them to die by my hands rather.”

Ah fuck. This is why they’re criminal bastards.

“Kim. I understand we need to lure them. But is there a way? They aren’t fools either.”

“They already know we’re moving together, and having failed to assassinate Kim at the junkyard, they won’t come out of their territory like turtles.”

“If we charge in recklessly, innocent citizens will be greatly harmed and they’ll move aiming for that. You wouldn’t allow such evil deeds, so is there a way?”

While I was grimacing, Dokkaebi asked about luring them.

He then asked if we couldn’t just get help from the police, but I shook my head saying that’s not possible.

“Did I mention? I also have a child taken hostage. A child I’ve been taking care of since she was young. My injuries were passed on to her.”

“Since they’re bastards who even use the ecology park, they must have widely planted informants or whatever in the police. If the police move, that bastard won’t return it.”

“…I see. I understand. I was worried because you were severely injured at the time, but there was a reason you’re fine.”

Dokkaebi nodded as if convinced. In addition to the fact that I was the one who saved his younger sister.

It’s not passing it on to someone else, but returning the injury to me again, so even this crazy bastard who would crack heads first if something deviated from righteousness [by his own standards] seemed to understand.

I looked at ‘Mina’s’ expression. That kid was looking at me without the smiling face she had shown me since meeting until now.

She seemed to have something she wanted to say, but looked around once and kept her mouth shut.

She looked like she couldn’t say what she wanted to because there were people around. Is she uncomfortable with me trying to save her?

I looked at ‘Mina’s’ face, wondering what was so uncomfortable.

Perhaps because we’ve known each other for a long time, I could roughly read her thoughts just by looking at her face. She looked uncomfortable with me trying to return the injuries passed on because of me.

Seeing her walking around fine like that, it’s clear my plan succeeded in the future, but why is she reacting like that?

Could it be I’m lying in a hospital bed unable to move in the future? Is that why she’s reacting like that?

I became afraid of what state I must be in in the future for her to react like that, but. I closed my eyes tight and stopped thinking.

I’ve said this before, but if worrying solved worries, what would we call problems?

The ancients said the answer is to close your eyes tight, drink alcohol, and curse the world if it’s shitty.

“Then the remaining problem is bringing them here. Do you have a way?”

Dokkaebi tapped a danso he pulled out from somewhere on his palm. His gaze shining with expectation under the mask is fixed exactly on me.

“I do. Something that can be used as bait. They’ll have no choice but to come if I say I’ll tell them what they’re most concerned about.”

“What they’re concerned about…?”

‘Mina’, who had been silently listening to my words, asked back with a question mark. I was a bit worried about how ‘Mina’ would react if I said this, but.

‘Mina’ is acting as if she naturally knows me while wearing her hero costume. It means we both know everything in the end. I thought it would be better to just say it, so I said:

“New Hope. If I say I’ll tell them who she is, those bastards will have no choice but to follow my words. They’re afraid of New Hope and can’t move properly.”

“If there’s a possibility that those bastards can find out New Hope’s identity, and it’s coming from the detective who’s been with New Hope the longest, on top of the fact that the guy saying it is someone they need to deal with somehow anyway, they’ll have no choice but to come here-”

“New Hope’s identity?!”

…Why are your faces like that? I narrowed my brows seeing the faces of the three people looking at me in surprise.

I could understand if Dokkaebi, who doesn’t know anything about the relationship between me and ‘Mina’, or Yoo Nari, who had been silently listening to our words, showed such reactions, but these words were said by ‘Mina’.

Looking at ‘Mina’s’ face staring at me with a truly shocked expression, I rubbed my mouth at the ominousness that suddenly struck me.

Okay, so. This kid. Is she saying she spoke to me confidently from the basement without even thinking her identity had been exposed?

No, no. That doesn’t make sense. I slowly shook my head in denial.

No matter how idiotic this world is, even if Mina has times when she’s forgetful and doesn’t use her head. Even so, it won’t be to the extent I just thought.

Even so, a kid who did hero activities until that age while hiding her identity was talking to me forgetting she was wearing her uniform?

Please, I hope it wasn’t to that extent…?

“Are, are you going to tell? New Hope’s identity?”

I bit my lip anxiously, but I could let out a sigh of relief at ‘Mina’s’ following words.

Thankfully, by God’s grace, ‘Mina’ wasn’t at the level I worried about. She was simply surprised by the fact that I was trying to tell someone New Hope’s identity.

Feeling slightly guilty towards ‘Mina’ for having such strange thoughts because I was too scared, I shook my head.

“Of course not. How would I know New Hope’s identity? It’s fishing. Lying shamelessly like this is my specialty.”

At my words, both Dokkaebi and ‘Mina’ nodded as if convinced.

“Indeed. Their vigilance and hostility towards New Hope was beyond imagination. It was even more so because most of those gathered were people who had been defeated by New Hope.

Moreover, they must have noticed that Kim resembles New Hope and a young woman with strong superpowers is with him, so they can’t help but trust that statement more. It’s a brilliant idea!”

“To think the detective called a symbol of incorruptibility has lying and deception as specialties. I wonder what’s happening to this country~”

None of your business.

I glared slightly at Yoo Nari’s words that were close to sarcasm.

She shrank like a cat drenched in water at my gaze, then handed me my phone which I don’t know how she brought, and ran away to the car saying she couldn’t leave her younger sister alone.

I followed her retreating figure with my eyes and engraved a vow to definitely throw that woman in jail when this case is over. Meanwhile, ‘Mina’ said with a somewhat bitter looking face:

“Because Detective is always someone who only lies.”

…No, what do I become if you say it like that.

All the wrongs I had done to Mina until now, pretending not to know, irresponsible acts flashed through my mind for a moment.

I couldn’t give any answer to the guilt remaining in my heart scolding me saying I’m really a bad bastard.

But that’s that and I need to do what needs to be done first.

I turned on the phone with my mouth shut tight. Then I pressed Park Jung-hoon bastard’s phone number I had already confirmed before and contacted him.

“Hey you shitty pigeon bastard. This is Lee Mun-su from Gangdong-gu Special Investigation Team 1. I’ll make you an offer that a fucking bastard like you can’t dare refuse.”

Now I don’t need to use honorifics with this kind of bastard. It was half-polite anyway, but who would understand how shitty it was to be polite to this kind of son of a bitch?

Now I don’t need anyone to understand. Because I’ll say everything I want to say.

You don’t believe it? What can I do about that? Do you think guys who were staying still because they’re so fucking scared of New Hope can refuse my bait?

I waited for the pigeon son of a bitch’s answer on the other end of the phone with a smirk, and soon I could smile.